HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-17-2015 PH1 SmithSubject: FW: Monttrey Hotel proposal
rFEB 0 9 2015
011NC1L MEETING: 2 -1"j -) d _ TY CLERK
- - - -- Original Message---- -
From: cheryl smith fmailto:twoslosmiths(o)me.coml
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2015 10:54 AM
To: Marx, Jan; Ashbaugh, John; Carpenter, Dan; Christianson, Carlyn; Rivoire, Dan; Mejia, Anthony
Cc: Bob; Angela Soll
Subject: Monttrey Hotel proposal
Dear SLO City Councilmember,
We live at 1920 San Luis Drive, a few doors up from the homes that sit across the creek from the 1845 -65 Monterey
Street site of the proposed hotel; the Peach Tree Motel is our across - the -creek neighbor (and a good one). We oppose
the attempted revision of the proposed hotel for the following reasons:
NOISE The remaining garage bay not fully enclosed (as Ordinance 1130 is meant to require) will act like a megaphone to
direct voices, tire noise, door slams and alarms (which legally can go on for 30 minutes before they have to be silenced)
toward the other side of the creek and for a surprisingly long distance across the neighborhood. In our location, The
Peach Tree rooms block the noise of their parking; not so the Super 8 noise, as their lot is not blocked from the creek, so
we hear those sounds listed above.
Some human voices can be REALLY irritating, as we observe when some people talk on a cell phone, or
have had too much alcohol, or are just celebrating. Such voices emanating from an unenclosed garage or from hotel
property adjacent to the creek will be difficult to tolerate. We occasionally hear loud voices from the Peach Tree rooms
across the creek, but they have only a few rooms there.
LIGHT Safety around the hotel property will demand lighting to its edge, wherever guests might wander - controlling light
spill beyond (see Ordinance 1130 mandates) can be difficult and we wonder how responsive the management (since the
architect and the developer will have moved on to other projects) will be to neighbors who complain about spot/floodlights
shining in windows.
SIZE Besides the issue of the massive structure looming over the opposite bank (especially noticeable when the
sycamores drop their leaves), we wonder how they plan to cram the cars of their guests and their staff and their service
trucks and their restaurant diners into those two skinny lots all at once (102 rooms!) without spilling into the street and
other people's parking - that stretch of Monterey doesn't seem like a good area to have lots of in and out traffic going on.
RUNOFF We don't see any mitigation for reducing the pollution- carrying runoff from their hardscape that
would end up in the creek - no water - permeable driveways or walkways were mentioned, nor green roofs to replace the
loss of the landscape behind 1845 -65.
SENSE OF PLACE We don't want to come across as being exclusive, as we recognize that the city needs
extra income and wants to spruce up the north entrance to town, but we do fear a domino effect that would replace a
homey motel like the Peach Tree and its neighbors with a series of hard - looking large boxy "modern" structures
announcing our town. The ambience that makes this city special is as important along Monterey as it is within the San
Luis Drive neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Norman Brooks Smith and Cheryl Smith